Frequently Asked Questions

What are the ways Flow outperforms competitors?

Many online merchants come to Flow because they find that current solutions miss the mark, are incomplete, are not integration-friendly, and do not provide the transparency necessary to drive a profitable business. Our platform provides a number of benefits including, but not limited to, multi-currency pricing, cost-efficient and rapid direct shipping, international payment options, well-defined taxes and duties, simple returns, and a/b testing capabilities.

Does Flow’s solution calculate currency conversion and FX rates?

Flow’s solution enables consumers to purchase in over 150 different currencies with rounded pricing and prepaid duties and taxes.  Flow also provides currency rate locks for the entire lifecycle of the order. Additionally, Flow’s solution enables a mix of fixed price local price books and dynamically calculated prices based on the current FX rate.

How does Flow calculate duties & taxes and how are these fees displayed to the customer?  

Flow’s platform leverages an ML-assisted harmonization engine to accurately classify products in order to calculate accurate duty and tax rates by product and country combination. Flow provides online merchants with the ability to display duties and taxes and other fees on the product detail page, at checkout, or both.

Can Flow provide both Duties Prepaid and Duties Unpaid?

Yes. Flow enables merchants to offer their customers the ability to pay duties upfront or later upon delivery. Flow’s solution clearly displays and communicates the Duties Prepaid and Duties Unpaid options for customers.

Does Flow provide insight into country-specific conversion optimization strategies?

Flow conducted an in-depth market research report across several top global markets looking at the impact of localization on customer conversion. We share these insights and data with our merchant clients to assist them in making decisions for their cross-border efforts to increase conversion and grow international sales.

How does Flow fulfill international orders?

Flow uses a hubless shipping model, eliminating the need for orders to pass through a cross-dock. Orders ship directly to the end customer, which minimizes delays in delivery.  Because Flow works with many online merchants, our clients benefit from our competitive shipping rates. Additionally Flow can ship orders from a single distribution center or multiple distribution centers.

How comprehensive and flexible are Flow’s shipping options?

Flow’s solution offers a variety of global and local carrier options including global express carriers, consolidators, and postal solutions. We also have relationships through to last mile carriers. Leveraging Flow’s platform, merchants receive the benefit of offering their customers multiple shipping options at checkout, optimizing for speed and cost depending on customer preferences.

How do Flow’s customers manage all the costs involved in cross-border e-commerce to stay profitable?

Flow’s solution provides full visibility and control over landed costs and pricing strategies so that merchants can make decisions for products in different markets that improve margins and result in profitable customer acquisition. With Flow, businesses can properly plan for the display and management of duties and taxes so that cross-border businesses can have greater visibility into their expected ROI on cross-border transactions. With Flow’s platform, merchants can offer multiple shipping options to customers (tiered, threshold minimum, flat rate, free shipping, etc.), which enables brands to test different options and to offset the cost of shipping between countries if needed.

Can you work with 3PL partners?

Yes. Flow easily integrates with 3PL partners of all kinds (domestic and international) as well as  warehouse management systems.

Do you have installment payment options available?

Flow offers 70 payment methods to customers, including installment payments.

How much work does the customer need to invest in the build out or is this done by Flow?

This depends on the merchant’s set up and the platform they use. Flow has a number of integrations with popular e-commerce platforms, which facilitates the integration process.  Flow also works closely with our merchants’’s development teams and/or systems integrators to ensure a successful and smooth implementation.

For brands planning to sell cross-border for the first time, would you recommend launching into just one or two markets or selling into multiple/dozens of markets from the outset?

Every merchant approaches cross-border differently. The more defined the strategy, the better the results. Some merchants look to enter one or two markets before launching into the rest of the world to establish proof of concept. Other merchants opt to launch into 200+ global markets out of the gate to beat competitors to market. Successful merchants outline a clear strategy to establish focus markets.

How are cross-border merchants approaching marketing in new markets?  Are they investing international marketing dollars in all markets they are selling into?

Most merchants find that setting a clear budget and investing dollars into international marketing yields better results for their cross-border efforts.  Certain markets are comparatively more cost-effective when it comes to marketing internationally, and budgets will often vary substantially between countries.